July 20, 2026
FIM's blind spots — and the budget threat closing in
The research on pediatric Food Is Medicine programs reveals an evidence cliff at age two — most outcome tracking stops there, which means we don't know what these programs are actually doing for the children who need them longest. This week also looks at WIC's largely-overlooked role as a produce prescription program, and at what SNAP cuts mean for FIM infrastructure that's already operating. The thread across all three: knowing where the gaps are is the first step to not falling through them.

The Age-Two Cliff: What Tufts FIM Institute Research Means for How We Design Food Is Medicine Programs for Children
U.S. children under two consume 2.7 servings per day of healthy plant-based foods — among the world's highest — then drop to 1.8 servings by adolescence, one of the steepest pediatric nutrition cliffs globally.

The Biggest Produce Prescription Program You Are Not Tracking: Why WIC Belongs in Every FIM State Officer Portfolio
WIC — the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children — is the largest produce-prescription program in the US, delivering a defined fruit-and-vegetable cash benefit to nearly 7 million people annually.

How SNAP Cuts Are Threatening Food Is Medicine Programs — What Produce Prescription Officers Must Know Now
H.R. 1's $187 billion in SNAP cuts removed 4.7 million people from food benefits since July 2025 — and the Boozman Farm Bill draft delivers zero restoration.
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